AI Coders Carry Half-Open Laptops to Keep Agents Running Across Airports, Offices and Schools
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · May 12
AI Coders Carry Half-Open Laptops to Keep Agents Running Across Airports, Offices and Schools
2 articles · Updated · Business Insider · May 12
Eight users told Business Insider they now walk through airports, office hallways and school corridors with laptops cracked open so coding agents can keep running between tasks.
Many AI coding tools run locally or rely on WiFi, so closing the lid can interrupt jobs, waste tokens or erase progress during longer coding sessions.
Examples span a 39-year-old product head carrying a laptop around an ice rink, a 15-year-old student moving between classes, and commuters boarding planes or buses before agents finish.
The habit has become visible enough to draw stares, prompt apologies to strangers and turn into an online meme, with OpenAI even nodding to it in a TikTok.
With AI agents costing 1000x more than chat, what will finally let us close our laptops without losing progress?
Is the 'laptop ajar' trend a sign of AI's power or a glaring signal of its fundamental, costly limitations?